14 February 2004	Saturday	22 Zilhaj 1424

KARACHI, Feb 13: Speakers at a meeting on Friday urged bureaucrats to follow the traditions of their former colleague, the late Abdullah J. Memon, who obeyed only lawful orders and always resisted the illegal ones from his superiors - either bureaucrats or politicians.

Speaking at a meeting, held in connection with the first death anniversary of the Abdullah J. Memon, they said that in the past, bureaucrats had become stronger than elected representatives, but with the passage of time they got weaker and many of them even worked like personal servants.

The meeting was organized by an organization - the Friends of Abdullah J. Memon. A former caretaker PM, Ghulam Mustafa Jatoi, said that since early 1950s, people's will unfortunately had never been accepted and parliament - a supreme institution - had never been allowed to act independently and properly. This, he added, was clear from the fact that numerous governments had been overthrown and even parliaments dissolved.

Had these institutions been allowed to work properly, they would have been stronger and there would have been no crisis in the country, he said. He recalled that the first instance of rejecting people's will was not accepting majority of Bengalis in the 1956 Constitution. The majority, he added, was forced to accept the principle of parity.

He said that even in West Pakistan, 'One unit' was created owing to which smaller provinces started feeling that they were being cheated. They also started believing that one or two provinces were imposing their dictates on them.

Though the 'One Unit' is now no more, the sense of mistrust among the provinces still dominates the thinking of many a people of smaller provinces, said Mr Jatoi.

He said that Zulfikar Ali Bhutto, with great efforts, prepared the 1973 Constitution on which a consensus was also evolved. "But what certain individuals have been doing with it is not fair."

He stressed that the Constitution should only be amended through the parliament which is a supreme body.

Even today, while it is understandable that it is necessary to construct more water reservoirs - be it Bhasha dam or Kalabagh dam, etc. - the construction should be started only after evolving a consensus on the issue. He said that if a decision in this regard was imposed by any quarter, it could have damaging affects on the solidarity and integrity of the nation.

Mr Jatoi said that bureaucrats/CSP officers not obeying public representatives and such officials performing as personal servants both were wrong. He maintained that all the government functionaries should work as servants of the people.

A former National Assembly Speaker, Illahi Bukhsh Soomro, comparing the state of lawlessness in the interior of Sindh, said that during his childhood days, if somebody came and knocked at the door during the night, the inmates would think that it would be some needy person. However, if similar situation emerges these days, people would guess there must be some dacoits out there.

Senator Nisar Memon said that Abdullah Memon always followed the principled stand and never obeyed illegal orders, owing to which he had to suffer many a times.

Sindh University Vice Chancellor Mazharul Haq recalled that during Mr Memon's days in Hyderabad, the issue of dacoits had been getting serious. Mr Memon initiated a dialogue with dacoits which resulted in a remarkable improvement in the law and order situation.

Sindh Minister for Population Welfare Imtiaz Shaikh, Former Chief Secretary Saeed Ahmad Siddiqui, Aftab Ahmad, Mairaj Mohammad Khan, Mohammad Ali Shaikh, Karamat Ali, Usman Baloch were among others who spoke at the meeting.